The house of (sports) cards (and memorabilia) begins to fall.....

And sadly, it comes as no surprise. The first step in what will most likely be the end for Upper Deck began today. As someone who has been on the short end of the economic stick, the human toll is what saddens me as much as the collapse of the Rolls-Royce of sports card companies since 1989. Shedding 1/4 to 1/3 of your staff not only disrupts lives, it cheapens the product you continue to put out. Not sure how many more companies will have to die before corporate boardrooms finally figure that out.

As much as I enjoy the hobby, I value a man or woman's livelihood even more. These folks will all land on their feet, but it's painful to watch as both a hobbyist and man with compassion for those who work hard and still get dealt a blow like this.

If it makes the now ex-Upper Deck employees feel any better, theirs isn't the only industry whose cheese has been moved over the past few years.

To those who lost their jobs in this latest senseless act by a brain dead CEO, THANK YOU for putting out a superb product across multiple sports for the past 20 years. We'll always have the Griffey rookie and the memories. And our thoughts and prayers are with you as you begin the next career chapter.

Every little bit helps.......

Thanks to Phyllis Stark, whose articles I linked to a few days ago ("We're only human"), for quoting me in her latest "Stark Country" column on radio-info.com! Take a moment to read it, especially if you're in radio. And remember, it's not too late (yet) to hire me! :-) Put 17 years of experience in all phases of programming to work for you!